Porterfield, William Hempstead, 1872-1927

Porterfield was born on Apr. 26, 1872 in Vinton, IA; briefly attended Univ. of SD at Mitchell; moved to San Diego in 1891; married Lottie Buck in 1892; became a reporter and subscription solicitor for the San Diego sun; in 1901 purchased a half interest in the paper; in 1903 he represented the Pacific coast group of Scripps-McRae newspapers as advertising manager; founded the Sacramento star in 1904, and became president of its publicity company; took over Fresno tribune (1906), Los Angeles record (1909) and San Francisco record (1910) as publisher under Scripps-McRae control; backed CA Governor Hiram Johnson and the Progressive Movement; wrote daily column in San Diego sun from 1919 until his death; founded the Ventura County star in 1925; in addition to a syndicated story of his foreign travels he published a novel of newspaper life, An adventure in pyramids (1927); he died on Sept. 2, 1927 in San Diego.

From the description of Scrapbooks and ephemera, 1898-1929. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 39888422

Biography

Porterfield was born on April 26, 1872 in Vinton, Iowa; briefly attended University of South Dakota at Mitchell; moved to San Diego in 1891; married Lottie Buck in 1892; became a reporter and subscription solicitor for the San Diego Sun ; in 1901 purchased a half interest in the paper; in 1903 he represented the Pacific coast group of Scripps-McRae newspapers as advertising manager; founded the Sacramento Star in 1904, and became president of its publicity company; took over Fresno Tribune (1906), Los Angeles Record (1909) and San Francisco Record (1910) as publisher under Scripps-McRae control; backed California Governor Hiram Johnson and the Progressive Movement; wrote daily column in San Diego Sun from 1919 until his death; founded the Ventura County Star in 1925; in addition to a syndicated story of his foreign travels he published a novel of newspaper life, An Adventure in Pyramids (1927); he died on September 2, 1927 in San Diego.

From the guide to the William Hempstead Porterfield Scrapbooks and Ephemera, 1898-1929, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)